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Felipe Dreesmann
Jul 8, 20204 min read

An emerging Iran: The Islamic Republic's Westernisation

Is Iran, one of the few remaining theocracies in the world, shifting away from its once strong anti-western ideals? We look at whether or not a more secular, westernised future may be on the horizon for the country


Looking at images of citizens of Tehran pre-1979 one could easily imagine the photos to have been taken in the United States; Colourful ‘western’ clothing, bright Volkswagen Beetles, and Miss Iran competitions featuring women without headscarves. Whilst the latter won’t be happening in Iran any time soon, is it possible that the country could be reverting to its former social and political structures? More than 41 years ago Iranians rose up against Shah Reza Pahlavi, ousting him from power and installing a theocratic regime led by religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The Shah had introduced pro-western reforms and was heavily influenced by the West (after having been returned to power via a US and UK organised coup). Therefore, his deposition and replacement by a religious leader, made it clear that many in the country were against the ‘Western’ way of living and instead favoured an Islamic, more traditionally Persian one. Despite this apparent rejection of westernisation, almost thirty years later, cracks in the clerical rule of Iran appear to be showing, led greatly by the youth..



Interview with Mr Azeredo Santos

With 60% of Iranians under 30 it is clear that the youth hold a great power to influence change in the country, whichever way the new political ideals of the youth swing, it is likely that the country will follow or be forced to just as it was in 1979. It seems the young in Iran hold a strong sense of individual liberty, an ideal which the current political system isn’t granting them. Frustration with the government’s handling of the economy and a longing for the end of the theocracy has resulted in civil unrest in the nation time and time again, most recently seen in the protests of late 2019. In the four months of protests, 304 citizens were killed as they called for an end to clerical rule, epitomised by the widely used chant “Death to Khamenei”. The Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal is only adding fuel to the fire as the consequent economic sanctions are crippling the Iranian economy and leading to increased hardship amongst the Iranian people. This process of threatening the theocracy is also being sped up by international recognition for the plea of Iranian citizens, with Ambassador Haley saying “We will not only hear their cry we will finally answer it. The Iranian regime is now on notice.”. Abroad, in Iran’s diaspora, many prominent Iranians are advocating for a more democratic Iran, urging the world to take notice and calling for large scale changes in the government. With the power and anti-establishment attitude of the youth, it is unsurprising that Ayatollah Khamenei, the very leader whose influence is being threatened has said that what he fears most in Iran is a non-Islamic “Cultural Invasion” of the country, an invasion that now seems underway.

Arguably the cornerstone of a westernised country is secularity of the government, a feature that many argue Iran isn’t going to possess in the foreseeable future. Many point to the fact that Islam is simply too rigid and absolutist to secularize, but miss the fact that over time, prolonged religious rule always secularizes. In Iran this seems to be the case, holding an ever-falling birth rate, a clear indication of growing secularity within the country. Islamic piety also seems to be dropping, with a revolutionary guard commander revealing that only around 3000 of the country’s 57000 Shiite mosques were fully operational in 2015, with some of the 3000 only operational during religious festivals. If this trend continues, it will form a schism between the non-Islamic citizens and the clerical government, undermining the ideals of the country that were established in 1979 as an Islamic Republic and potentially leading to a refusal of Islamic policies

It can be argues that Iranian Westernisation was inevitable from the day the Islamic Republic of Iran was created since it was born out of two principles which perhaps. cannot peacefully coexist – democracy and theocracy. The latter results in an environment in which all dissident action and healthy debate against the status quo is regarded as warring against god or ‘moharebeh’. This theocracy also binds the country to strict ideologies from which its people cannot falter from; despite economic hardship, Iran is unable to build stronger ties with the USA since they cannot be associated with the ‘Great Satan’, leading to bellicosity which only promotes more sanctions against Iran. This flawed system is also one which is impossible to maintain and has resulted in a continued drop of enrolments in Iran’s seminaries. As learned during the reformation, innovative, contemporary critiques of the government will always attract more support and interest than the defence of the current, in this case clerical, system. Every country, including Iran, must have the ability to change with the times and the views of its people. If the Islamic Republic continues to ignore the political, economic and civil warnings to change its ways, it will face continued civil unrest and perhaps even a second cultural revolution.

Interview shown at the top.


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